Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the world has never been the same again. The stalled economic activities everywhere forced people out of their jobs which resulted in many layoffs including here in the Philippines. Filipinos up to now are forced to be creative in making both ends meet to survive.
Good thing the government is actively promoting the adoption of mass development of entrepreneurial skills. And with the help of technology, global and progressive companies in the Philippines have pushed for the adoption of work from home scheme.
These positive developments have enabled enterprising Filipinos to engage in remote jobs, bring their retail stores in the digital platform, develop and reinvent food and beverages. They were also encouraged to invest in cryptocurrencies, and rediscover their creative ability through video production The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) statistics has painted the employment picture in several sectors: 11.76 million for agriculture sector; 7.95 million in industry sector, and 29.08 million in services sector.
What does this data imply for the country’s labor outlook?
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva would give us a hint on what to expect on the labor workforce’s deployment to key areas of the economy. In a statement, Sen. Villanueva said 1.5 million jobs await our labor force.
Villanueva said that
"With new entrants to the labor force, unemployment and underemployment would surely increase if no change to sluggish efforts on job generation and addressing gaps in school-to-work transition and persisting job-skills mismatch is done."
The senator particularly vowed to create 'new and sustainable jobs' to address the recurring issue of school-to-work transition and job mismatch.
"We have to assist agri-fishing, manufacturing, and other sectors to create new and sustainable jobs, address issues on school-to-work transition and ensure industry-relevant skills and core skills such as critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration," he said.
The Senate had passed on second reading Senate Bill 2035 or an Act establishing the national employment masterplans or Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan.
The senate bill aims to stimulate local and national growth and economic activities through manpower training and enhancement programs.